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garbled display from POST, to desktop, to shutdown with Geforce 9800GT

lost_soul

By lost_soul
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lost_soul

lost_soul

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We figured this isn't the monitor, because my netbook looks fine when connected to the thing. This is a desktop she purchased from Dell in late 2008, and already the video card appears to have croaked. Have any of you seen this before? The machine operates perfectly fine, booting up and playing sounds and logging in and browsing the web and all. The screen is just full of garbage the whole time though. This makes me think that it isn't the motherboard. Fortunately, we found a Geforce 9800GT card for $55, which is a heck of a deal. I already tried using the other DVI port on her current card just for the heck of it and everything was still garbled.

 

I saw something on another forum about overclocking the video card slightly and that it might help... is that totally insane? The desk she has is basically a deathtrap for computers. The PC is stuck back in an alcove with wood surrounding it from all sides except from the front. I would never store my machines that way. Perhaps that is what caused the problem. I didn't bother to install nvclock and check if the fan on the video card was working, or what temperature it was running at. Now she is using an eight-year-old P4 that I left there when I moved out.

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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rich_is_bored

rich_is_bored

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It's probably as you suspect although you might want to pull the system out and give it a good cleaning before you replace anything. Sometimes dust can cause very odd problems.

 

Usually when a video card overheats you experience display artifacts well before it finally dies but it's not out of the question that someone who doesn't know better might think nothing of it and happily continue browsing the web and checking their email oblivious to the fact that they could do permanent damage.

 

Don't bother overclocking. That's a silly idea, especially if the system isn't well ventilated. Speaking of which make sure you move the system out of it's hole and explain why she shouldn't keep it there.

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PranQster

PranQster

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Did you test the netbook using the same cable connecting to the monitor as the desktop machine connected with?

This sounds very much like a bad cable.

Also, does that Dell have an onboard graphics port on the motherboard, or only the nvidia card? If there are 2 DVI ports, this makes me think the nvidia is a card and not onboard graphics. If you can find an onboard port, try enabling it and pulling the nvidia card.

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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lost_soul

lost_soul

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The machine doesn't appear to have onboard video. The monitor was connected to the nvidia card via a DVI to VGA adapter. When I connected the netbook, I just discarded the adapter. I suppose there's a chance the adapter could have something wrong with it, but that is extremely unlikely, because no one moved the machine and those adapters are quite simple.

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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plasticman

plasticman

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If you really want to track it down you could try to interpret the POST messages. Usually the manual of the mainboard lists their meaning. If you think the video card is to blame, simply remove it and boot without it. When the POST message signals you something like "found no ram" you know at least that inserting another card won't solve the problem completely...

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7upMan

7upMan

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I'd say it sounds a lot like a graphics card error. Try installing the 9800GT and see where it goes from there. Nvidia had (and I think still has) problems with the packaging of its GPUs (visit semiaccurate.com, you'll find a wealth of articles on that topic), so in that ventilation-free environment it could very well be that the GPU was tortured to death. In any case it would be nice if you could give us an update once you have the new card installed.

My Eigenvalue is bigger than your Eigenvalue.

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7upMan

7upMan

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If you really want to track it down you could try to interpret the POST messages.

 

Which might not be possible if the display is garbled. Anyway, I did have that same problem with my ATI Radeon X700 laptop, and I had the mainboard switched. 

My Eigenvalue is bigger than your Eigenvalue.

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7upMan

7upMan

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Hello?! -- Beep, beep, beep.

 

Oh right, there's that, sorry, I forgot about that. Also, my old mobo had a digital display that showed an error number, which was waaay more convenient. But after re-reading lost_soul's statement I'm not sure there is any beep message at all. Anyway, replacing the current gc is the way to go.

My Eigenvalue is bigger than your Eigenvalue.

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lost_soul

lost_soul

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... went over there today and the PC is still in the same shape. The video card is supposed to arrive on the 30th. I heard a grinding sound coming from the machine when she had it on for a wile, which was most likely the video card fan's last gasp. :)

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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lost_soul

lost_soul

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Now this got a WHOLE lot more interesting. The machine appeared to work okay with the new card, but after running for five or ten minutes, it hard locks and the display becomes garbled again. With this new video card, the POST and desktop look just fine up until the machine completely hangs, whereas the old card produced a garbled display from startup to shutdown (but never hung).

 

I brought a Linux installation over there on an SD card and ran the system from that, and it did the same thing. This rules out any kind of issue with Windows. Could they have shipped us a bad video card? The thing idles at 75 degrees C! The fan on the card is working though.... Could it be the motherboard? While the card has a maximum temperature of 100 C and thus should be able to function correctly at 75C, it shouldn't be that hot when just staring at a desktop, right?

 

We don't have any other PCI-E cards to test and find out for sure, so my options are to call the card vendor, try the card in a different slot on her machine, or try to find a friend who would test the card for us in their PC.

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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7upMan

7upMan

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Motherboard, I'd say, or the power supply unit. In case of MB, I'd look for the capacitors. In case of PSU, I'd try no negociate with a computer store to try one out and return it if the problem persists.

My Eigenvalue is bigger than your Eigenvalue.

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